The United States (U.S) government on Saturday, January 31,entered a partial shutdown after congress failed to pass a 2026 budget before the midnight deadline.
The disruption was expected to be brief, with the house of representatives set to move early next week to ratify a senate-backed funding deal.
The funding lapse followed a breakdown in negotiations triggered by Democratic anger over the killing of two protesters in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents, which stalled talks over new funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
In a statement posted on social media on Saturday, senate democratic minority Whip Dick Durbin said, “Instead of going after drug smugglers, child predators and human traffickers, the Trump administration is wasting valuable resources targeting peaceful protesters in Chicago and Minneapolis. This administration continues to make Americans less safe.”
Roughly three-quarters of federal operations were affected, potentially triggering shutdown procedures across a wide range of agencies, including education, health, housing and defence.
Federal departments were expected to begin implementing shutdown plans overnight, but congressional leaders from both parties said the Senate’s action made a short disruption more likely than a prolonged standoff.
If the house approves the package as expected early next week, funding would be restored within days, limiting the impact on government services, contractors and federal workers.
However, if the shutdown lasts more than a few days, tens of thousands of federal workers could be placed on unpaid leave or required to work without pay until funding is restored.
Late Friday, the senate passed a package clearing five outstanding funding bills to cover most federal agencies through September, along with a two-week stopgap measure to keep DHS operating while lawmakers continue negotiations over immigration enforcement policy.
The house was out of session when the deadline expired and is scheduled to return on Monday.
President Donald Trump backed the senate deal and urged swift house action, signaling he wanted to avoid a prolonged shutdown, the second of his second term, after a record-length shutdown last fall disrupted federal services for more than a month.
The Senate breakthrough came after republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina lifted a procedural block that had stalled the package late Thursday.
Graham had objected to provisions in the DHS stopgap bill and to house-passed language repealing an earlier measure that allowed senators to sue the justice department over seized phone records during past investigations.
He agreed to drop his objections after Senate leaders pledged to hold future votes on legislation he is sponsoring to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal deportation efforts.
Democrats, meanwhile, remained united in opposing new DHS funding without changes to immigration enforcement following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Their deaths intensified scrutiny of federal agents’ conduct and hardened opposition to approving funding without new oversight measures.
Democratic leaders have called for reforms, including tighter warrant requirements, limits on certain enforcement tactics and greater accountability for immigration agents.
Although congress has already passed six of the 12 annual funding bills, they account for only a small share of discretionary spending.
The remaining bills cover large parts of the federal government, making the funding lapse significant if it continues.
On Friday night, the office of management and budget issued a memo directing agencies to prepare for an orderly shutdown, adding that, “It is our hope that this lapse will be short.”
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